The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-06-23

How many loaves Of bread he distributed,
how many bare feet he had sandaled,
how many cots OF sickness and distress
he blessed with ministries OF
kindness aud love- do not know, but
from the way ne lived, And the way
he preached, and the way he died, ]
know he was laborlous Christian. But
that Is all over now. He has pressed the
cup TO the fast Painting lip BE has tab.
en- the last insult from his enemies. The
| last stone TO whose crushing weight he ID
susceptible has been hurledi Stephen Is
dead. The disciples come. They take
him op. They wash away the blood from
the wounds. They Strengthen out tho
bruised limbs. They brush back the
| tangled hair from the brow. and then
| they pass around to look upon tho calm
| countensnce OF him who had lived for the
\ poor and died for the truth.
Stephen asleepl l have seen the sea
driven with the hurricane until the tam
gled foam caught in the rigging, and
wave rising above wave seemed as ~
about to storm the Heavens, and then
have seen the tempest drop ard the
waves crouch, and everything become
smooth and Furnished as though camp
ing place for the glories OF heaven. So
have seen q man, whose life has been
ssed and driven, coming down at last TO
an infinite calm In which there was the
hush OF Heavens lullaby. Stephen
asleep! / saw such an one. he fought
all his days against poverty and
abuse. They traduced his name. They
ratified at the door-knob while he was
dying with duns of debts he could not
pay. yet the peace Of God brooded over
his pillow, and while the world faded,
doHr he ;pr ttvi-
light of earth's night was only the open.
ing twilight of Heavens morn. Not a
sigh. Not a tear. Not a struggle. Hushl
stephen asleep
have not the facility to tell the wealth.
CIR. can never tell BY the setting sup
whether there will be a drought or not. /
can not tell by the blowing Of the wind
whether it will be fair weather or foul
on the morrow. But l can prophesy,
and l will prophesy, what weather
It will be when you, the Christian;
come to die. You may have it very rough
now. 1t may be this week one annoyance,
tho hext another annoyance. 1t may be
this year one bereavement, the next an
other bereavement. Before this year has
passed you may have to beg for bread, or
ask for a scuttle OF coal or pair of shoes;
but spread your death couch amid the
straw OF paupers hut, the wolf Of the
jungle bowling close by, or inexorable
creditors jerking the pillow from under
your dying head-Christ will come in
and darkness will go ont. And though
there may be no hand to close your eyes,
and no breast on which TO rest your
dying head, and no candle to lift the
night, the odor of Gods hanging garden
will regale your soul, and at your bedside
will halt the chariots Of the king. No
more rents to pay, no more agony because
-four has gone up, no more struggle with
"the world, the flesh and the devil" but
peace-long, deep, everlasting peaca
Stephen sleepi
Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep
From which none ever wake TO weept
calm and undisturbed repOse,
Uninjured by the last OF foes
Asleep in Jesus far from thee
Thy kindred and their graves may be
But there is still blessed sleep
From which none ever wake to weep.
You have seen enough for one morning
No one can SUGGEST fully examine more
than five pictures in day. Therefore, "
stop, having seen this cluster of dis,
Raphaels Stephen gazing into heaven
Stephen looking Ut Chris; Stephen
stoned; Stephen IN his dying prayer,
Stephen asleep.